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Brokering Private Stocks Yet to Yield Big Profits

The secondary market for private tech shares is booming again, after a slowdown following the Facebook IPO. With valuations rising and startups staying private longer, investors in search of growth have been striking more deals with private company employees seeking to sell their shares.

But that boom doesn’t appear to be yet translating into big profits for the handful of most well-known firms brokering the buying and selling of secondary shares, at least based on the limited evidence that’s available from publicly filed financial records. Adapting to changes in the secondary market and launching new ventures has been costly, although the firms are poised to benefit if deal volume continues to rise.